Dr. Carol Lee

Biography

Carol Lee is a Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research focuses on understanding evolutionary responses to catastrophic environmental changes, including biological invasions, climate change, and pollution. Lee integrates evolutionary genetics and physiology to gain insights into the mechanisms that enable species to expand into novel niches. Her ongoing work examines the physiological and evolutionary adaptations of organisms in response to habitat changes, particularly in freshwater environments impacted by climate change and salinity shifts. Lee’s current projects utilize the copepod Eurytemora affinis to study genomic mechanisms underlying adaptation and the physiological evolution associated with habitat shifts. This research is crucial for understanding how populations survive during radical habitat changes, especially as coastal waters are increasingly affected by climate change.

Research Interests